Angiogenesis in Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis
Title: Angiogenesis in psoriasis and psoriatic
arthritis: clues to disease pathogenesis.
Authors: Leong TT, et al.
Publication: Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2005 Aug;7(4):325-9.
Psoriasis is a common chronic skin condition affecting 2% of
the population, and is associated with inflammatory arthritis
(psoriatic arthritis) in up to 40% of the cases.
Psoriatic arthritis patients account for 15% of patients coming
in for inflammation of the synovial membrane (membranes in the
joint cavities), therefore it represents the second most common
category after rheumatoid arthritis.
There are a number of common characteristics that link the skin
and joint inflammatory process. In both psoriasis and psoriatic
arthritis, angiogenesis or formation of new blood vessels seems
to be a fundamental inflammatory response early in the course
of the disease development. Significant abnormalities of the morphology
of blood vessels and growth factor for new blood vessels have
been prescribed in both diseases.